BASF has plans to build the new plant in Schwarzheide, Germany and aims to utilize innovative technology to extract lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and production scrap. To establish a circular economy for the battery value chain, the extracted metals will be used to produce new cathode active materials.

BASF has acquired Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company’s assets in Jinshan, China with an aim to boost alkoxylate production in the backdrop of its rising demand in the Asia Pacific market especially China.

Under the new Guangdong Renewable Energy Trading Rules, BASF has entered into a deal with China Resources Power to purchase renewable electricity for its first plants at the Zhanjiang Verbund site in China.

BASF’s Ultramid Ccycled polymers have recently obtained validation by Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Ultramid Ccycled grades are sustainable raw material alternatives for diverse applications including packaging film, carpeting and furniture.

BASF and Mitsui Chemicals have launched a collaborative study to promote a circular economy for plastics in Japan. Mitsui Chemicals has plans to become carbon-neutral by 2050 and thus, aims at developing recycling technologies.

BASF and RWE have signed a letter of intent which focuses on a climate-neutral chemical industry and CO2-free hydrogen. Together, they have come up with a project idea which includes the construction of an offshore wind farm with a capacity of 2 GW to produce green electricity and supply it to BASF’s Ludwigshafen chemical site in Germany for hydrogen production.

The newly formed joint venture will be majorly owned by BASF with a stake of 51 % while China’s Shanshan will hold the remaining stake of 49 %. The new joint venture will produce cathode active materials and precursors for the huge battery materials market in China.

With the help of special bacteria and an innovative process concept, BASF and Lanzatech have been able to produce n-octanol at laboratory scale from carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The combination of Lanzatech’s gas fermentation technology into BASF’s Verbund will help the firms to move into the direction of a carbon-neutral circular economy.

BASF has plans to invest double-digit millions in order to increase refining capacity at its Platinum Group Metals facility in the USA. The plant will recycle precious metals from spent catalysts such as automotive catalytic converters.

BASF has plans to invest at the Kundl/Schaftenau Campus in Austria with an aim to further develop its global production set-up for bacterial enzymes and biotechnology products. With this move, the company intends to strengthen its position in the market.